The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-08-21


Once tried madly to fight back into
the wind. 1t was hopeless-worse than
useless. should drop with exhaustion
in few minutes, and must keep GO
ing.
And then ] found burned grass under
my feet. There had been fire over
the prairie. The ground was not cold
yet A new dread got hold of me.
Who knew where it had gone or what
had stood in its track? ran along
screaming something-praying or
swearing-quite mad, / think, for
little. till fell again and the jar
brought me to my senses.
Ihad gone over the edge Of an old
buffalo run scooped dry by the rush
of summer rains. lay still for little
while. must have gone to sleep or
perhaps / tainted away. Anyway,
when / came to myself again the world
was as still as the grave.
The wind had gone down, as it will
sometimes, suddenly and entirely. The
silence was horrible. l got on my feet,
BUN anu DtuuiHUtu- III All lHdl gray,
still, CHASTITY space there was nothing
to tell east from west, or north from
south. l was lost on the big range.
1t was still enough but the cold was
dangerous. l could not stop. must
move somewhere. ] must make my
self purpose purpose to keep my
self alive at least--till daylight came.
/ began walking; it did not matter IN
what direction. If only my strength
held out till morning-strength to
keep Off that horrible drowsiness 1
know l stumbled heavily along. Twas
thinking about Molly and her baby; it
all seemed like dull dream.
And then bells began to ring. deep
and soft and far off. l stopped in my
tracks to listen. 1t was the sound of
bells, certain, full and sweet; and /
turned and went blindly on, following
the sound as hound might follow
scent
All at once saw light. 1t wasn't
body lived on the big range, unless
some camper was travelling about, and
campers don't travel in the teeth of
norther. And this light swung and
wavered, went out entirely for Sec
ond or two, and then burned up again.
And near or far could not tell, only it
was light and it moved, and l followed
it. And / could hear the bells all the
time.
Then, all at once, another one of
Molly's Bible verses flashed into my
head; some thing about 'star in the
East that went before them till it came
and stood over the place where the
young child lay"
Well, l wasn't wise man, or /
shouldn't have got in such fix. l
don't think I'm an irreverent kind of
fellow, either; a man couldn't live
with Molly many years and be that
Only was looking for a young child,
too, and babics-little ones-always did
seem to me near enough to Heaven to
make that story about the star reason
able enough. Any way, there it was.
meant for me or not, and l followed it.
More than once l fell, but l always
got up and went on. was talking to
myself part of the time. hearing my
own voice and thinking it was some
one else's l lost my sense of time
again, but | kept on doggcdly; and
then, suddenly, the light flashed
brighter, whirled about in wild sort
of way, and went out entirely.
l gave shout and ran forward. l
thought should die if lost it. And
there l was standing on wide trail,
with sort of square, dark shape
standing up in front in the dimness
before me, with light and voices COM
ing out of the chinks, and somehow,
there was the door, and my hand on
the latch, and in another second-oh!
it was Molly-Molly with a lamp in her
hand, bending over a fecding-box made
into cradle, with a great armful of
hay and white sheepskin for cover,
and Madison's wife kneeling on one
side, and Clayton's wife on the other,
and beyond, with the light flashing in
their great, wondering, shining eyes,
pair of astonished horses. And then
there came piping cry from the feed
ing-trough, and l knew l had found
the baby.
Burned out? Yes, sir. That was
the last thing; but they had had warn
ing before the fire came down on them.
Jim Clayton had taken the women and
struck across for the big road and they
took the first shelter they came to, a
stable that had been built in the days
when all the California supplies went
overland by mule train. When the
wind fell he took the lantern and tried
to find cabin that used to stand some
where near, and had been following
him for half an hour.
Oh, yes, I'm well fixed now; three
thousand head of cattle out on the
Gunnison. And Molly spends her
summers back home, and she and the
babies bring back enough Group and
catarrh and bronchitis sore throat to
last them half the next winter. Chris
tine q. Brooks, in N. Y. Independent.